The northern group was won by Lancashire, qualifying for their sixth successive final by winning all three games, although they had some stiff opposition from rivals Yorkshire and Cheshire on the way. They were joined by Cornwall, also making their second successive final, who won the southern section in a similar manner, with close wins against Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire getting them through. Both of the newly promoted counties, Northumberland and North Midlands, made an instant return as they were relegated to the 2015 County Championship Plate at the end of the competition.[3][4]
In what was a repeat of the previous seasons final, Lancashire once again defeated Cornwall. Cornwall who were looking to win the championship for the first time in 14 years, actually led 23-10 at half-time, but fell apart in the second, as a rampant Lancashire side scored four tries to finish as victors 38-26.[5] Lancashire's outstanding player of the tournament was Fylde'sChris Johnson, who scored 60 points over the competition, including 4 tries, while Lewis Vinnicombe, playing for Truro in Tribute Western Counties West, was excellent for Cornwall with 4 tries overall.
Competition format
The competition format was two regional group stages divided into north and south, with each team playing each other once. This meant that two teams in the pool had two home games, while the other two had just one. The top side in each group went through to the final held at Twickenham Stadium on 1 June 2014.
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
Number of matches won
Difference between points for and against
Total number of points for
Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the final. Pink background means the county were demoted to Division 2 North of the County Championship Plate for the following season. Updated: 24 May 2014 Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.
Round 1
10 May 2014 15:00
Cheshire
3 - 24
Yorkshire
Heywood Road, Sale Attendance: 330 Referee: Andrew Rawson
10 May 2014 15:00
(BP) Lancashire
57 - 19
Northumberland
Woodlands Memorial Ground, Lytham St Annes Attendance: 425 Referee: Wayne Falla
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
Number of matches won
Difference between points for and against
Total number of points for
Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the final. Pink background means the county were en demoted to Division 2 South of the County Championship Plate for the following season. Updated: 24 May 2014 Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.
Round 1
10 May 2014 15:00
(BP) Cornwall
65 - 22
North Midlands
The Recreation Ground, Redruth Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Nick Williams
10 May 2014 15:00
Gloucestershire
19 - 30
Hertfordshire (BP)
Dockham Road, Cinderford Attendance: 218 Referee: Graham Dickens
Does not include final at Twickenham which is a neutral venue and involves teams from all three county divisions on the same day
County
Home Games
Total
Average
Highest
Lowest
% Capacity
Cheshire
2
611
306
330
281
7%
Cornwall
2
3,200
1,600
2,000
1,200
31%
Gloucestershire
1
218
218
218
218
9%
Hertfordshire
2
744
372
580
164
16%
Lancashire
2
875
438
450
425
10%
North Midlands
1
250
250
250
250
Northumberland
1
258
258
258
258
13%
Yorkshire
1
1,850
1,850
1,850
1,850
95%
Individual statistics
Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included). Statistics will also include final.
